February 2021 Scientific briefing on caged farming Overview of scientific research on caged farming of laying hens, sows, rabbits, ducks, geese, calves and quail Contents I. Overview .............................................................................................. 4 Space allowances ................................................................................. 4 Other species-specific needs .................................................................... 5 Fearfulness ......................................................................................... 5 Alternative systems ............................................................................... 5 In conclusion ....................................................................................... 7 II. The need to end the use of cages in EU laying hen production .............................. 8 Enriched cages cannot meet the needs of hens ................................................. 8 Space ............................................................................................... 8 Respite areas, escape distances and fearfulness ............................................. 9 Comfort behaviours such as wing flapping .................................................... 9 Perching ........................................................................................... 10 Resources for scratching and pecking ......................................................... 10 Litter for dust bathing ........................................................................... 11 Nesting ............................................................................................. 11 ‘Combination’ cages and limited access systems ........................................... 11 Alternative systems can meet the behavioural needs of hens ............................... 12 Improving welfare in alternative systems ....................................................... 12 Reducing injurious pecking ..................................................................... 13 Preventing bone fractures ...................................................................... 14 Cage-free systems have the potential for good welfare ...................................... 15 III. Welfare and productivity benefits of housing sows in groups ............................... 17 Confinement of sows in individual stalls causes severe health and welfare problems ... 17 Good production results can be achieved with group housing from weaning and throughout gestation ............................................................................... 20 Managing group-housed sows to minimise stress, competition and aggression ............ 22 Group housing systems should be designed and managed to minimise aggression and meet the welfare needs of sows .................................................................. 26 IV. Welfare and productivity benefits of moving away from farrowing crates for sows .... 27 The farrowing crate ................................................................................ 27 Welfare and productivity problems relating to keeping sows in farrowing crates ........ 28 Confinement: extreme restriction of movement ............................................ 28 Restriction of highly motivated behaviours .................................................. 29 1 Piglet health, welfare, mortality and productivity in crates and free-farrowing systems ........................................................................................................ 30 Insufficient space for piglets to suckle ....................................................... 30 Piglet mortality ................................................................................... 30 Results improve with experience ................................................................. 32 Outdoor (free range) farrowing systems ........................................................ 33 Large litters are a root cause for many welfare problems, including piglet crushing .... 33 Progress in Europe .................................................................................. 35 Free-farrowing success requires a true free-farrowing pen .................................. 35 V. Health, welfare and production of farmed rabbits in cage and non-cage systems ....... 37 Rabbit behaviour .................................................................................... 38 Cages, including enriched cages, cannot meet the needs of rabbits ....................... 38 Inadequate space and height ................................................................... 40 Lack of enrichment and environmental complexity......................................... 41 Social isolation of breeding rabbits ........................................................... 43 Pododermatitis in breeding rabbits ........................................................... 44 Non-cage systems ................................................................................... 45 Managing aggression in breeding does in non-cage systems ............................... 47 Managing hygiene and disease risk in non-cage systems ................................... 50 Unlike cage systems, non-cage systems have the potential for good welfare .......... 51 VI. Caging and force feeding of ducks and geese for foie gras – welfare effects ............ 52 The flooring of the cage ........................................................................... 52 Absence of litter .................................................................................... 53 Fearfulness .......................................................................................... 53 Absence of water for bathing ..................................................................... 54 Restrictions of basic behaviours .................................................................. 55 Force feeding (gavage) ............................................................................ 55 Alternatives to caging and force feeding ........................................................ 57 Further reading ..................................................................................... 58 VII. The confinement of calves in individual pens ................................................ 59 Individual calf pens ................................................................................. 59 Natural calf behaviour ............................................................................. 60 The effects of keeping calves in individual pens ............................................... 60 Social isolation and impairment of social relationships .................................... 60 Cognitive impairment, affecting welfare and performance ............................... 61 2 Impaired development of social skills and confidence ..................................... 62 Poor resilience .................................................................................... 62 Prevention of natural behaviour and play .................................................... 63 Reduced performance ........................................................................... 63 Preventing disease .................................................................................. 64 Reducing cross-sucking ............................................................................. 65 Numbers of animals ................................................................................ 67 VIII. The welfare of farmed quail in cages and non-cage systems ............................. 69 Biology and natural behaviour of Japanese quail .............................................. 70 Cages cannot meet the needs of quail .......................................................... 70 Inadequate space and height ................................................................... 71 Lack of cover and opportunities for nesting behaviour ..................................... 71 Lack of opportunities for foraging and dust bathing ........................................ 72 Non-cage systems can provide higher welfare and comparable or improved performance ........................................................................................................ 75 Minimising floor eggs in laying and breeding quail .......................................... 76 Managing aggression in breeding quail ........................................................ 77 Non-cage systems have the potential for good welfare ....................................... 77 3 I. Overview The intensive farming of animals in cages is a relatively recent phenomenon, having developed since the end of World War 2. Over recent decades, the increasing use of cages has enabled the keeping of many more animals in ever more intensive systems. This has facilitated the vastly increased consumption of meat, dairy and eggs compared with plant-based foods, as these products transitioned from being consumed in moderation to being abundantly available and at relatively low cost to consumers. Yet, today there is a global awareness that production and consumption of animal-based foods needs to urgently reduce to limit irreversible environmental damage and to provide a sustainable food system. In addition, there is now a wealth of scientific evidence that cages are severely detrimental to animal welfare; and EU citizens, increasingly aware of intensive farming systems, demand change. Nearly 1.4 million European Union citizens recently